The Summit of Bettendorf

In 2019, Genesis Health System (Davenport, Iowa), a health services provider serving a region of cities in Iowa and Illinois, recognized the need for a new senior living community in the rapidly growing city of Bettendorf, Iowa.

The vision was to offer prospective residents an amenity-rich community with a full continuum of care. This focus included independent living, assisted living, assisted living memory support, and skilled nursing, which were lacking in the city.

At the time, Genesis’ senior living portfolio included three skilled nursing communities. “We did not have the expertise or experience to do this on our own,” says Doug Cropper, president and CEO at Genesis.

So the organization set out to find a partner with experience in other care levels, eventually pairing up with Johnston, Iowa-based WesleyLife, which in addition to decades of experience serving seniors also offered a focus on wellness.

Together, the duo developed a new joint venture called WellSpire, with a mission to deliver a network of senior living communities focused on health and well-being, starting with flagship community The Summit of Bettendorf.

“The partnership strengthens a common mission to pave the way for older adults [in the area] to lead healthy, fulfilling, joy-filled lives that focus on purpose and well-being,” says Janet Simpson, vice president of network/campus operations at WesleyLife.

Utilizing cluster and household model approaches

Completed in November 2021, the community sits on 12 acres of a 21-acre site (9 acres are reserved for future growth) on a major roadway that offers easy access to the surrounding community’s amenities and fits into the residential backdrop.

The Summit is designed in an adjoined cluster configuration arranged along a shared central amenity core. On the west side of this area are a four-story independent living building with 105 apartments. The single-story assisted living building has 17 units for either singles or couples.

On the east side, three single-story buildings house, respectively, 16 assisted living memory support units (primarily single suites), 20 short-term rehabilitation units, and 20 long-term care units for single occupancy.

These buildings utilize a small household model, which WesleyLife had used on previous projects. (For more on the household model in senior living , check out “7 Design Principles for a Household Model.”)

Each household has its own kitchen, dining, and living areas. Jill Schroeder, a senior planner at Pope Design Group (St. Paul, Minn.), the architects and interior designers for the project, says it was important to the client to maintain the small household model with single-story buildings to move away from an institutional skilled nursing model.

“Single stories are easier to navigate, there’s no need for stairs, an elevator [and so on],” she says, “and they’re also smaller, cozier, and more reflective of a home environment.”

Delivering wellness-focused amenities

All levels of living on the campus are connected through the shared central amenity core that includes a multivenue dining area, community room, and—the heart of the community—the wellness hub.

“We really wanted the wellness hub to be a space that people can see right when they enter the community, so it’s front and center,” Simpson says.

Bright and open with high ceilings and clerestory windows, the wellness area includes a yoga and group fitness studio that’s sized to double as a pickleball court, locker room, virtual golf simulator, and therapy room.

These separate but connected spaces are designed to make residents of all care levels feel welcome. For example, therapy is located adjacent to the golf simulator to invite a more playful approach to rehabilitation and physical therapy, rather than have the space tucked away.

The staff room with an adjoined outdoor terrace is located next to the golf simulator to encourage staff to be active, too.

Public-facing amenities

Multiple exterior access points to a landscaped outdoor area, which includes walkout terraces, walkways, and an amphitheater, make fitness possible both inside and out, such as outdoor yoga, says Simpson.

Furthermore, public-facing entrances to some of the amenity spaces, such as therapy and a salon/spa, invite locals to enjoy some of The Summit’s offerings. They also allow residents who’ve moved in at The Summit to maintain social circles with those who have not.

“The thinking is that there could be a spa day, for example, with a group of friends,” Schroeder says. “The salon would be a special destination that feels very much like any other salon experience because there is no need to walk through a senior community to arrive at it.

And because of this, anyone is more likely to easily maintain the relationships with their existing social circle because it is so convenient for others to join,” Schroeder says.

Homelike architectural features

Located in the campus’ central core, the main entrance to the community opens into a lobby that adjoins the dining area. Including a bistro, fine dining, chef’s table, and rooftop bar above independent living, all the venues are served by one commercial kitchen to create operational efficiencies; a dumbwaiter is used to serve the rooftop.

“When we were designing the Summit, labor was a challenge, but nothing like it is today,” Simpson says. “So our thinking was timed perfectly.”

The project team also created separate entrances to the individual small households to further support the model’s goal to create an inviting experience, says Christine Soma, principal and architect at Pope Design Group.

Canopied rooflines and columned porches at these entrances add a sense of prominence and welcoming, which continues inside. Upon entry, there is a foyer, followed by an immediate view to a fireplace and the household beyond.

In the separate assisted living household, a kitchen and hearth space were included.  “They have their own household where all their friends are and they can eat right there,” says Simpson. “Or if they want to go out, they can head up to the bar or they can access the restaurants [in the shared amenity core]. They have kind of the best of both worlds.”

Welcoming interior design

Throughout The Summit, natural materials such as wood, stone, and bronze  finishes sit side by side with floor-to-ceiling windows, varying ceiling heights, and an array of lighting. These interior design elements create a warm, welcoming, and uplifting aesthetic.

Angular rooflines on the buildings are designed to create a massing expression that is literally and symbolically uplifting, Soma says.

“This architectural expression further highlights and emphasizes the energy of wellness and vitality,” Soma says.

Future growth opportunities

Additional space has been carved out in the wellness hub for possible future expansion, although no immediate plans are in the works.

In the meantime, the two partners have opened up additional WellSpire communities, including The Fieldstone of DeWitt in DeWitt, Iowa, which replaced an outdated skilled nursing community.

 

Joann Plockova is a freelance writer based between Jupiter, Fla., and Prague, Czech  Republic. She can be reached at joann.plockova@gmail.com.

 

Project details for The Summit of Bettendorf, a WellSpire Community

Project location: Bettendorf, Iowa

Project completion date: November 2021

Owner: WellSpire (a partnership of WesleyLife and Genesis Health System)

Total building area: 296,395 sq. ft.

Total construction cost: $41 million

Cost/sq. ft.: $138

Architecture: Pope Design Group

Interior design: Pope Design Group

General contractor and builder: Estes Construction

Engineering: Axiom Consultants

Art consultant: Workspace

FF&E Procurement: Workspace

CARPET/FLOORING: Interface/Flor, Shaw Contract, Patcraft, Tandus, Masland, J&J Flooring, Mannington, Armstrong, Gerflor, Kate Lo Tile & Stone, Tile X Design, Ceramic Tileworks, American Olean, Virginia Tile,

CEILING/WALL SYSTEMS:  Armstrong Ceilings

DOORS/LOCKS/HARDWARE: ASSA Abloy, Lynden

FABRIC/TEXTILES: DL Couch, Wolf Gordon, HBF Textiles, Knoll Textiles, Pollack, Anzea, Arc Com, Maharam, Architex, Carnegie, DesignTex, Momentum, Pollack

FURNITURE—SEATING/CASEGOODS: Kountry Wood Products, Duracare, Special T, Lux Manufacturing, Kellex, Carolina, Kwalu , Shelby Williams, Hekman, National , H-Contract, Fairfield, Oxford Gardens (Outdoor), Summer Classics (Outdoor)

HANDRAILS/WALL GUARDS: InPro

LIGHTING: Juno, Brownlee, Sonneman, Mark Architectural, Eureka, Blackjack Lighting, Spectrum Lighting, Tech Lighting, Bulbrite, Leds C4, APN Lighting, Alight, RLM Classics, OCL Architectural Lighting, Delray, ET2, Monte Carlo

SURFACES—SOLID/OTHER: Sherwin Williams, Formica, LG HI-MACS, Caeserstone, Silestone, LG Hausys, Formica, Wilsonart, Nevamar

WALLCOVERINGS: DL Couch, Wolf Gordon, Newmore, MDC, Momentum, Arc Com, Innovations, Woodwalls

Project details are provided by the design team and not vetted by Environments for Aging.